If you’ve ever downed one too many cups of coffee and ended up more jittery than a squirrel in late fall, it won’t be any surprise to you that what you consume can make your stress and anxiety worse. But it may surprise you that certain foods and drinks can have the opposite effect.
Turns out, some foods can have a calming effect on the body and mind, even triggering the release of feel-good brain chemicals called neurotransmitters; while others wreak havoc on your mood, often by spiking blood sugar. Loading up on the right stuff can help tip the scale back in your favor.
Here, five calming foods you definitely want to be eating more of, plus a few that are best left off your plate.
Trade Coffee For Green Tea
The caffeine in your daily cuppa prompts your brain to release hormones like adrenaline and norepinephrine, making you more alert. But they can also trigger your fight or flight response, and leave you tense and irritable. Findings show that consuming 1,000 milligrams of caffeine—or around five cups of coffee—daily leads to changes in mood that are basically indistinguishable from an anxiety disorder.
But you don’t necessarily have to guzzle that much to start feeling frazzled. Caffeine affects everyone differently, so you might find that just a cup or two of coffee is enough to put you on edge.
The fix? Try gradually cutting back until you find your sweet spot. If you end up foggy-headed from the lack of caffeine (or just miss the ritual of sipping something warm), try green tea. A cup only has 45 mg caffeine, compared to coffee’s 200 mg. Plus, it contains l-theanine, a compound thought to promote alertness while reducing stress and anxiety.
Up Your Fruit And Vegetable Intake
Start piling on the produce, and a better state of mind might follow. A recent American Journal of Public Health study that tracked 12,000 people for two years found that eating at least 8 daily servings of fruit and vegetables was linked to increased happiness and greater life satisfaction and wellbeing, regardless of personal circumstance or income.
The boost could come from increased intake of antioxidants—particularly, carotenoids, which seem to have a positive effect on mood. So trade that granola bar for an apple, or tuck an extra helping of veggies into your sandwich. It certainly can’t hurt, and it just may help.
Pick More Lean Proteins
Your brain needs the amino acid tryptophan in order to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in regulating your mood. In fact, when Canadian researchers gave people diagnosed with anxiety a snack bar fortified with tryptophan and had them perform a stressful task, the study participants showed fewer signs of anxiety compared to those who were given a placebo snack bar.
But outside of the science lab, the best place to get tryptophan isn’t in a snack bar. It’s in protein-rich foods like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, milk and cheese, nuts and seeds, and tofu.
Cut Back On The Cookies And Grab Dark Chocolate Instead
When you’re on the verge of losing it, a sweet treat can be an instant source of calm. But the good feelings won’t last long. The added sugars in cookies, candy, and other junk temporarily boosts your blood sugar and serotonin levels to leave you feeling energized and all-around happy. But when your blood sugar crashes an hour later, your mood will plunk right down with it. It’s no surprise, then, that eating a diet high in refined grains and sugar is linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression.
Next time you get the urge to nibble, grab a square of dark chocolate. A recent Journal of Psychopharmacology study found that the polyphenols in cocoa can ease symptoms of anxiety by helping people feel calmer and more content.
Eat More Salmon
Or tuna, or mackerel, or anchovies. Fatty fish are a top source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to reduce inflammation in the brain and improve mood. Indeed, studies show that people who consume higher levels of omega-3s tend to have lower levels of anxiety and an easier time coping with stressful situations.
Experts recommend eating at least two servings of fatty fish per week. If you don’t eat fish and still want to reap omega-3’s anxiety-easing benefits, talk to your doctor about taking a vegan omega-3 supplement that contains EPA and DHA. While plant foods like walnuts and flaxseeds contain a different form of omega-3s, called ALA, they haven’t been studied extensively for anxiety.
